1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a so-called disc apparatus, that is, an apparatus including a disc tray on which a disc-type recording medium is mounted, and a case wherein a disc tray is designed to be able to be drawn out of and put into the case.
2. Description of the Related Art
There have been suggested a variety of apparatuses for encasing a disc-type recording medium therein. For instance, one of such apparatuses has been suggested in SONY, CRB-533: CDU76E-01 Product Specification Rev. 0.1, pp. 25. FIG. 1 illustrates the suggested apparatus. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the apparatus 40 includes a main body or box 41, a disc tray 52 designed to be drawn out of the box 41, and four stoppers 5 formed on a surface of the disc tray 52 for securing a disc-type recording medium 10 on the disc tray 52. The box 41 is formed at opposite inner walls thereof with grooves 6 extending in a direction in which the disc tray 52 is drawn out of the box 41. The disc tray 52 is formed at longitudinal edges thereof with projections 57 extending in the same direction as the grooves 6. The projections 57 are designed to fit into the grooves 6. Hence, the disc tray 52 is slidable relative to the box 41.
In the apparatus 40 illustrated in FIG. 1, the disc tray 52 is vertically supported. However, the apparatus 40 may be supported in such a manner that the disc tray 52 horizontally supported.
An operation of the apparatus 40 is explained hereinbelow with reference to FIG. 1. When the disc-type recording medium 10 is to be inserted into the box 41, it is necessary to draw the disc tray 52 out of the box 41. By pulling the disc tray 52 in a direction indicated with an arrow C, the projections 57 of the disc tray 52 slide along the grooves 6 of the box 41, and accordingly, the disc tray 52 is drawn out of the box 41.
Though the disc tray 52 is manually drawn out of the box 41 in the above-mentioned operation, a driver mechanism including a gear train 8 and an electric motor (not illustrated) may be incorporated in the box 41 for mechanically drawing the disc tray 52 out of the box 41 and inserting into the box 41.
When the apparatus 40 is used with the disc tray 52 stands vertically, as illustrated in FIG. 1, a user draws the disc tray 52 out of the box 41, and then, place the recording medium 10 onto the disc tray 52. While supporting the disc-type recording medium 10 with a hand for avoiding the recording medium 10 to drop from the disc tray 52, the stoppers 5 are rotated with other hand in directions indicated with arrows in FIG. 1. Thus, the recording medium 10 is rocked onto the disc tray 52, and is never slipped out of the disc tray 52.
Then, a user pushes the disc tray 52 into the box 41 in a direction indicated with an arrow D. Thus, the recording medium 10 is encased in the box 41.
When the recording medium 10 is to be taken out of the apparatus 40, the steps inverse to the above-mentioned steps are conducted. That is, the disc tray 52 is first drawn out of the box 41. With the recording medium 10 being supported with a hand, the stoppers 5 are rotated in the opposite directions. Then, the recording medium 10 is taken out from the disc tray 52.
Another apparatus having a loading tray support structure has been suggested in Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 4-132642. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the loading tray support structure of the apparatus.
As illustrated in FIG. 2, the loading tray support structure of the apparatus 61 includes a body 71, a pair of guide rails 75 formed at opposite ends of the body 71 and each formed with a rectangular groove (only one of the guide rails 75 is illustrated in FIG. 2), a rail 73 fixed on the body 71 and extending in a direction X in which a disc tray 72 is drawn out. The disc tray 72 is formed at a surface thereof with a circular recess 72a on which a disc-type recording medium is mounted. The disc tray 72 is formed with a bearing 74 and a pair of rectangular projections 76. The rail 73 is inserted into the bearing 74 of the disc tray 72 for slide movement, and the rectangular projections 76 are fit into the rectangular grooves of the guide rails 75. Thus, the disc tray 72 is movable relative to the body 71 with the bearing 74 sliding along the rail 73 and further with the projections 76 sliding in the grooves of the guide rails 75.
Still another apparatus has been suggested in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publications Nos. 7-254201, 7-254199 and 7-254263. FIG. 3 illustrates the suggested apparatus. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the suggested apparatus 81 includes a chassis 90, a disc tray 82, a slide rail 84 for sliding the disc tray 82 relative to the chassis 90, and a front plate 91 secured to a front end of the disc tray 82. The disc tray 82 is formed at a surface thereof with a circular recess 82a in which a disc-type recording medium is mounted. The slide rail 84 is comprised of a first rail 98 fixed to the chassis 90, a second rail 97 fixed to the disc tray 82, and a third rail 99 slidable between the first and second rails 98 and 97.
In operation, by pulling the front plate 61 in a direction indicated with an arrow A, the second rail 97 slides relative to the third rail 99, and concurrently the third rail 99 slides relative to the first rail 98. As a result, the disc tray 82 slides relative to the chassis 90 in the direction A.
However, the above-mentioned conventional apparatuses are accompanied with problems as follows.
As mentioned earlier, the apparatuses are often used with a disc tray being vertically supported. In such a case, when a disc-type recording medium is to be inserted into the box or chassis, the disc tray is first drawn out of the box, and then the recording medium is mounted on the disc tray while vertically supported with a hand of an operator. Then, the stoppers are rotated to thereby secure the recording medium to the disc tray in order to avoid the recording medium from slipping out of the disc tray. Then, the disc tray together with the recording medium is inserted into the box or chassis.
That is, when a recording medium was mounted on a disc tray, it was necessary in the conventional apparatuses to rotate stoppers with one of hands with the recording medium being supported with the other hand. The apparatuses usually have four stoppers, as the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1. Hence, it was absolutely necessary to use both hands for mounting a recording medium onto a disc tray, resulting in operational difficulty.